Sledges have been used for millennia in Arctic and sub-Arctic regions. Until the advent of British Arctic land exploration in the nineteenth century, explorers in these regions had relied on indigenous sledges. The British, and individuals from other nations engaging in polar exploration, often faced different conditions and challenges from those that had faced indigenous peoples, and so a period of adaptation and invention began, to develop sledges that better suited the needs of European survey parties. This paper looks at the range of indigenous sledges and the development of various polar sledge types based on indigenous ski-runner, edge-runner, and toboggan styles of sledges. The development of the Nansen sledge, which became the norm in the Antarctic, is discussed, and the issues and debates involving man-hauling versus dog-hauling and the relative effectiveness of sledges and motive power as shown by recorded sledging performances are outlined.

The Inuit of Canada's eastern Arctic are increasingly turning to tourism as a source of much-needed income and employment. The government of the Northwest Territories, in conjunction with local communities, is attempting to develop a ‘sustainable’ form of tourism in the region, with an emphasis on maximizing local economic linkages while minimizing negative socio-cultural and environmental impacts. One key strategy for increasing the ‘downstream’ benefits of visitor expenditure has been an attempt to forge better links between tourism and the region's arts sector. This paper examines some of the key issues and problems that face the implementation of such a strategy in the Baffin Island hamlet of Cape Dorset. It commences with a profile of the community, its arts sector, and its nascent tourism industry. It then presents findings from a household/business survey designed to gauge resident attitudes towards tourism and provide information on the links that exist between the industry and the arts sector. The data reveal that while residents are supportive of further tourism development there is considerable disagreement among different interest groups about the amount of interaction that should occur between tourism and the local arts sector. In conclusion, the paper outlines some approaches that may allow the linkages between these two important components of the local economy to be strengthened.

George Phillips, the naval stores officer at Esquimalt, British Columbia, was responsible for supplying from that base the Canadian Arctic Expedition (1913–1918) led by Vilhjalmur Stefansson. In addition to arranging details of supply in conjunction with directives from his superiors, Phillips travelled with Stefansson by steamer to Nome, Alaska, before Karluk, the brigantine to be used by the southern division of the expedition, sailed on her ill-fated voyage. This article is based on hitherto unused documentation, including the private notebooks and personal correspondence of Phillips. It examines two issues: first, the problems of supply for the Canadian Arctic Expedition, and, second, the personal views of Phillips with respect to Stefansson and other members of the party.

The condylobasal length (CBL) of skulls from 999 sexually mature seal, sealion, and fur seals of 30 different species was measured. Additional data gathered from previous studies were also included to give an indication of variation within each species, particularly where there is a wide geographical dispersion. Where possible, means and ranges of CBL were given separately for each sex, so that the degree of sexual dimorphism could be assessed. Previous studies have indicated that CBL continues to increase after sexual maturity has been reached. In order to assess this, three species (Mirounga leonina, Otaria byronia (flavescens), and Halichoerus grypus) that contained individuals of known age were included in the study. Other craniometric characters are often expressed as a percentage of CBL when assessing taxonomic relationships. Some of these characters were reassessed using the new data.